The XXXI Olympiad will begin with Opening Ceremonies in just 51 days on Friday, August 5th in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. This will be the first time that the Summer Games will be hosted in a South American city.

While Team USA is still far from being finalized, 181 athletes (of what is expected to grow to over 500) have already been confirmed with a number of them coming from right here in Washington state.

As the countdown to the games progresses, we will put our spotlight on those star-spangled competitors that hail from the Evergreen State to give you an idea of whom to root for and follow along with.

Our first athlete is a member of the U.S. Judo team.

Olympics Day 3 - Judo
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Meet Marti Malloy.  Originally from Oak Harbor, WA, Marti will be competing in her second Olympics at the 57kg weight division. Now residing in San Jose, CA, Malloy is looking to improve on her bronze medal-winning performance in 2012. Since her last appearance in the Olympics, Malloy has won gold at the Pan-Am Championships (2014) and placed 5th at the World Championships in 2015.

Malloy, who grew up on Whidbey Island, is life-long friends with MMA superstar (and former judo medalist) Ronda Rousey. Rousey admits in her book "My Fight/Your Fight" that Malloy was the only opponent to ever defeat her.

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